The present invention relates to a method for playing a casino wagering game which is a variation of five-card stud poker.
A number of variations of the very popular five-card stud poker game have been devised as player-versus-dealer games which feature multiple wagering opportunities.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,553 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,041 (both to Jones et al) disclose variations which are collectively referred to as Caribbean Stud(trademark) poker. In the preferred method of play described in the ""553 patent, the game commences with each player placing a preliminary bet (xe2x80x9cantexe2x80x9d) at a designated location on a table layout. The house dealer deals five cards to each player and to himself, all face down except for one card in the hand of the dealer.
Having viewed his hand and assessed his chances, each player can elect to retire from the round at that point (to xe2x80x9cfoldxe2x80x9d) in which event he forfeits his amount of the ante to the house. The alternative is for the player to make an additional betxe2x80x94typically prescribed by house rules to be double the amount originally antedxe2x80x94whereupon the dealer reveals his entire hand. Provided that the dealer""s hand has a poker value of at least Ace-King, the game progresses with the dealer comparing his hand to that of each pair and paying or collecting bets as appropriate. Poker hands of two pair or better are rewarded by payment of better than even odds on such hand of a winning player.
The aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,041 discloses the optional superaddition to Caribbean Stud(trademark) of a xe2x80x9cprogressive jackpotxe2x80x9d in which a player may at his or her option participate in that jackpot by making an additional jackpot wager of some predetermined amount, e.g. a playing token. The jackpot wagers submitted by all players are cumulated. The jackpot is paid out in whole or in part from time to time on the strength of the poker hand held by the winning jackpot bettor. Insofar as the amounts of the jackpot not won in a hand are carried over to the next, the jackpot is xe2x80x9cprogressivexe2x80x9d.
The ""041 patent and Jones et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,405 disclose totalizing apparatus including slots in which each player may deposit a gaming token towards the jackpot component, if desired and means for increasing or decreasing the jackpot meter as money is paid into or out of the jackpot. These two patents are incorporated herein by reference for their teaching of token-operated apparatus for keeping a running jackpot total.
In another variation of five-card stud poker for casino play, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,858 (Andrews), play is carried out with one or more xe2x80x9croyalxe2x80x9d decks of twenty cards eachxe2x80x94namely the 10""s and face cards of each suit. Unlike Caribbean Stud(trademark) described above, only three cards are dealt face down to each player and only two to the house dealer. One of the dealer""s cards is displayed as a face-up community card for consideration by each player for use as the fourth card of the player""s ultimate five-card poker hand.
Having viewed his or her three cards and the community card, each player has the option of either standing on the xe2x80x9cbetxe2x80x9d wager which he or she initially placed on the game table or, if optimistic, placing a second (equivalent) xe2x80x9cadditionalxe2x80x9d wager on the xe2x80x9cplayxe2x80x9d position and turning the three cards of the hand face up. That done, the dealer turns up the second of dealer""s two cards as a second community card. The negative five-card poker hand of all players are evaluated and payouts are made according to a payout table.
A rather different wagering game method, commonly referred to as xe2x80x9cLet it Ridexe2x80x9d is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,081 (Breeding). Each player must place down three equal bets, whereupon the dealer deals three cards to each player and to himself, but then discards out of play (xe2x80x9cburnsxe2x80x9d) one of his three cards, sight unseen, leaving the dealer with only two cards. Alternatively, the dealer may simply deal three cards down to each player and refrain from dealing himself a third card.
At that point, each player must decide whether (if pessimistic) to take back the first of his or her three bets or else to xe2x80x9clet it ridexe2x80x9d. The dealer then turns up one of the two community cards so that each player, now in effect in possession of four cards of the ultimate five-card hand, is put to a decision whether to withdraw the second bet from the table or to let that bet ride. The third bet is not retrievable When dealer then turns over the second and last of his cards, play comes to an end, the players show their cards, and all bets still on the table are resolved and distributed according to the poker ranking of each bettor""s hand.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a casino variation of five-card stud which combines the simplicity of play and excitement of xe2x80x9cLet it Ridexe2x80x9d with the appeal of progressive jackpot wagering that is featured in games such as Caribbean Stud(trademark).